Dinner

JUNIPER.

“My father is everything to me. I can never bear to see him hurt.” 

Adelaide whispers beside me as we stroll into the gigantic mansion. I can barely hear anything she's saying, I am too busy trying to wrap my head around the fact that my best friend lives in a fucking mansion. 

Even more, I am completely paralyzed by the fact that her father is an Alpha. 

Adelaide mentioned it a couple of times… Alpha Dante of the Moon Hound pack. I still could not get over the fact that he grabbed my waist hours ago. A fucking Alpha!

“Welcome to my home!” She squeals as she leads me into the grand living room. 

Christmas decorations hang on every wall, especially heavy over the warm looking fireplace. Despite that, the cold demeanor of the large room did not change. Bright, decorative lights reflect off the crystal chandeliers, lighting up the gloomy palace-like room. 

My gaze lands on the tall Christmas tree beside the glass windows, and my eyes widen at how beautifully decorated it is. I have never owned a Christmas tree, or celebrated the holidays. It is all new.

“I don't know why I've never been here.” I mutter and she giggles. 

I met her in high school, and she has been pestering me to visit since then. Our friendship graduated to something deeper, and even though I still took part time jobs, she always helped me financially, physically and emotionally whenever I needed it. She is my only family.

“I'm just happy you finally decided to come. Trust me, you're going to enjoy Christmas here.” She takes my hand, leading me up the spiral stairs while a couple of servants drag our luggage up behind us. I've never had servants help me with anything all my life, it felt surreal.

My eyes search the whole place, waiting to see one particular person, but he is nowhere in sight. He entered before Adelaide and I, and I had no idea where he went off to.

“How many people live here?” I ask as Adelaide helps me settle into my new room. It is larger than my entire house, decorated with my favorite color.. pink. 

“Six.. including the servants. You'll meet everyone at dinner.” 

Six!? Oh boy. 

“The servants will inform you when dinner is ready.” She blows me a kiss before leaving the room and gently pushing the door shut. I sink into the bed immediately, letting out an exasperated sigh. 

The man that I shamelessly admired and still shamelessly admire is my best friend's dad? How does she even have such an attractive father? And why can't I take my mind off him and the way his arm felt around my waist? Why did I feel so awkward around him throughout the journey down here? 

“No.. Juniper!” I scold myself, putting my palms over my face as my heart races. “He should be like a father to me, nothing more!” 

I wish I could believe that. 

….

The dining room is as grand as the rest of the house, with a long, polished table that seems to stretch on forever. The stone walled dining room is not spared from the decorations as well. 

The aroma of roasting turkey and freshly baked bread wafts through the air, making my stomach rumble with excitement. Adelaide offers me a seat beside her, but unfortunately, it is right next to her father. 

I can feel Dante's eyes on me as I take my seat, and I try my very best not to look at him. Instead, I focus my attention on the two men sitting right opposite me. 

“Juni, I would like you to meet Simon and Reggie.” Adelaide starts, as if reading my mind. “Simon is my father's beta, and Reggie is family.” 

“Nice to meet you.” I nod at them, but Simon's gaze lingers on me for way too long, causing me to shift uncomfortably on my chair. 

We start to eat, but I can still feel Dante's gaze on me, and every time I glance over at him, his eyes are on me. I hate how hot he makes me feel, and I hate even more that I can't stop it from happening. 

The tension between us is suffocating, pressing down on me like a living, breathing thing so determined to snip life out of me. I can't stop myself from breaking a sweat, and I can tell that he's enjoying this. 

“Juniper.” 

I flinch when he calls my name with that voice, but I look over at him, trying to look as calm as possible. 

Adelaide ate happily, only lifting her head when her father called my name. 

“Adelaide has told me so much about you. She won't stop going on and on about how amazing you are. But,” he pauses, swallowing the little food he has in his mouth. I follow every movement his lips make, like a hypnotized bunny. 

“She also said you were an orphan. What pack do you come from?” He asks and I gulp, regaining my senses and subtly looking around to make sure that no one saw me gawking at the old hottie. 

“The burning moon pack.” 

He smiles, charming but deadly. “Your Alpha is a good friend of mine.” 

I manage to return the smile, but we both know there is nothing genuine about our smiles. I can barely move my fork, my hands tremble around my fork. Dante's presence dominated the room, stealing my breath. 

“Juni, are you okay?” Adelaide questions, probably noticing how uneasy I had become. 

I glance over at Dante but his unreadable expression throws me off and I gulp. 

“Y.. yes.” I nod, turning back to Adelaide. 

“Don't you like the food?” 

“What? No, this is delicious.” I argue. 

“Tell me about it, best turkey I ever had.” Reggie says, passing the basket of bread to Simon who playfully smacks his head. 

“You say that about everything you eat, you glutton.” Simon jokes and that seems to lighten up the tension only briefly before it settles on me again. 

Dante stares at me like he isn't aware that his daughter is my best friend. He might have been creepy when we met, asking me to sleep with him, but that should have changed the moment he found out about my friendship with his daughter. Instead, he stares at me like I am some project, studying me and making me uncomfortable. 

I can't risk my relationship with Adelaide, losing her trust sounds like a death sentence.

I take one look around the table, wondering if anyone else can feel the tension. But when I see them all enjoying their food in silence, I realize that I am the only one sweating my heart out. 

“You're sweating, little one.” His deep, gruffly voice almost makes me choke on my food, but I look over at him with furrowed brows. 

“I wonder why.” I glare at him and he grins, dropping his fork and wiping his hand on his napkin. 

I decide to ignore him, believing that he is simply messing with me, but when I suddenly feel a large arm on my bare thigh, feeling like an electric shock, I jump so high that I almost tip the table over.

“Juni! What happened!?” Adelaide calls out in concern and my eyes dart over to Dante who still sits there with his hand possessively wrapped around my thigh. My heart races, slamming against my chest. He still doesn't let go and I can barely struggle. 

“Yes Juni,” He remains calm, “tell us what happened. Why did you jump?” He leans in, voice dipping low, and the space between my thighs twitch in excitement. 

“Tell us why you're so anxious.”